Basilica of San Savino, Piacenza, Minor basilica in Piacenza, Italy.

The Basilica of San Savino is a minor basilica in central Piacenza with three naves divided by marble columns that create a rhythmic pattern as you walk forward. The interior ends in a curved apse where an old wooden crucifix hangs, adding to the solemn feeling of the space.

A church first appeared on this site in the early medieval period but was reconstructed from the ground up within a century. A major rebuilding during the 11th century created the structure that still stands in the city today.

The 12th-century crypt mosaics show zodiac signs against a marine background, a motif also found in a mosaic labyrinth described by an ecclesiastical historian in 1651. The presbytery has a modern mosaic with battle scenes and a depiction of Christ. The church keeps a 12th-century wooden crucifix and frescoes, plus a 15th-century Enthroned Madonna and Child in the presbytery.

The basilica stands just outside the old Roman castrum, a short walk from Piacenza's historic centre. The 1721 Baroque facade by Andrea Galluzzi faces the street, so the entrance is at ground level. The 12th-century crypt mosaics and the presbytery lie inside; the 2004 restoration by architect Carlo Beltrami renewed the roof and installed a new lighting system.

Baroque changes made in the 17th century hid many of the original Romanesque features under new decoration, creating layers of different artistic styles in the same space. Walking through today, careful observers can spot where the old design shows through beneath the later additions.